Characters, Plot, and the Whole Damn Thing [Elizabeth George]

Once they’ve begun reading a book, people tend to stick with it because the characters are compelling or because the plot is tight and fast-paced, or because of both. We’ll be looking at how a writer can manage characters, plot, setting, and scene in such a way that the reader is hooked, engaged, and enthralled. We’ll also be looking at what novelist Sue Grafton meant when she said, “If you know the question, you know the answer.” Students should bring the first scene in which their main character/s appear as well as a description of the plot of their novel. This class has a one-hour lunch.